The event gathered 28 participants from 13 countries with projects in development, who had the chance to deepen their knowledge and skills, and receive feedback from experts

A group photo of all of the participants (© Vladimir Mudrovčić)

The third module of the CEE Animation Workshop (29 July-4 August), gathering 28 participants from 13 countries, as well as renowned industry professionals, lecturers and guests, has successfully concluded in Opatija, Croatia. The participants deepened their knowledge and skills in animation content production, and received individual feedback from international experts and their peers on their projects in development.

Esteemed producers Tonje Skar Reiersen (Mikrofilm, Norway) and Corinne Destombes (Folimage, France), along with experienced script consultants Phil Parker (UK) and Rita Domonyi (Hungary), again acted as group leaders.

A series of lectures by distinguished professionals included a marketing workshop by Michael Arnon (WOLF Consultants, Germany) and another workshop on the art of negotiation by Ulrich Michel (Noerr, Germany). Katrin Nändelstaedt (Germany) held a session focused on pitching, while Caroline Williams and Bernie Cullinan (Pragma, Ireland) shared their expertise and offered invaluable company strategy consultations. Edmunds Jansons (Latvia) and Luca Toth (Hungary) delivered consultations on visual development.

The CEE Animation Workshop also hosted the Open Industry Day, with around 20 Croatian animation industry professionals joining the participants. Iva Kraljević (Croatia) and William Steinberg (USA) led a master class on editing, offering deep insights into editing in animation.

A round-table on Croatian animation featured industry experts Draško Ivezić (Adriatic Animation), Vanja Andrijević (Bonobo Studio) and Ornela Čop (Animafest Zagreb), who discussed current trends, challenges and opportunities.

“I like to feel like a beginner because I’ve tried documentary, I did live-action films, and now I’ve dared to enter the completely new territory of animation,” says Ukrainian director Irina Tsilik, best known for The Earth Is Blue as an Orange [+see also:
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interview: Iryna Tsilyk
film profile], who is taking part in the CEE Animation Workshop with the feature-length animation project Red Zone. “This project is a very ambitious attempt to talk about something extremely important to me in a new form. CEE has helped a lot. From session to session, I'm moving forward, and even when I've had setbacks, it has forced me to pick myself up and keep going.”

Destombes, who heads development at France's Folimage and was serving as a group leader at the CEE Animation Workshop for the second time, adds: “It truly is a pleasure to be here, even when we work hard because we have to think about so many things and try to find solutions. It provides great satisfaction. It also changes my perspective, as I have opened my mind more to the European market and European creators.”

Earlier this year, the CEE Animation Workshop entered its sixth edition with a selection of 12 animated projects (see the news). In February, the participants gathered for the first module in Vilnius, Lithuania. The second module took place online at the end of April. Following the third module in Opatija, the fourth and final module will take place at the end of 2024.

The call for submissions for the 2025 edition will open by the end of September on CEE Animation’s official website.

The CEE Animation Workshop in Opatija was organised by the Slovene Animated Film Association – DSAF, CEE Animation, the Slovak Association of Animated Film Producers – APAF and the Polish Animation Producers Association – SPPA, and was supported by Creative Europe – MEDIA, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre – HAVC and the Ministry of Public Administration, Republic of Slovenia.